What It's Like To Play In The Rose Bowl: A Guide For Our Cal Friends
by Hopkins Horn on Dec 7, 2011 1:19 PM CST
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Having an opportunity to play Cal later this month has surprisingly allowed us Longhorn followers to see that the wounds over 2004 haven't quite healed yet for our friends from the Golden State. Mack Brown's shameless advocacy on behalf of his players -- really, the absolutely most shameful thing a coach could ever do, despite reports to the contrary over the last month or so -- cost the Golden Bears their rightful place in the Rose Bowl in the slot traditionally reserved for the runners-up of the Pac 10.
What's saddened me the most, though, is the implication behind the sound and fury that Cal supporters really expect to have a Rose-Bowl caliber team only every half a century or so. Given that the Golden Bears' last appearance in the Rose Bowl was in 1959, it's entirely possible, given Mack Brown's stealing the Rose Bowl bid away from that once-in-a-half-century Rose Bowl-worthy 2004 Cal squad, that Cal won't be good enough again to earn a trip to the Rose Bowl until 2050 or so.
Think about it: because of Mack Brown, there might be some Cal fans who'll live to the ripe old age of 90 without ever seeing their team play in the Rose Bowl Game.
They'll have no idea what it's like to play in the Grandaddy Of Them All, in that magnificent setting in Pasadena. They'll have no idea what it's like to see your team win a thriller on a last-second play and to see your beloved coach walk off the field victorious.
That's why, BON readers, I thought we'd help our Golden Bear friends out.
Let's let them know, in excruciatingly minute detail, what it's like to watch your team play in -- and win -- the Rose Bowl Game. The sights, the smells, the feelings of exhilaration: let's recount for them what it's like to play in that game, since they'll probably never get there themselves.
Let's live them live vicariously through recounting our experiences in that game -- no, those games! -- that they have never enjoyed and likely will never enjoy in most of their lifetimes.
I'm particularly interested in hearing from those of you, like me, who were in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2005. What was it like that day? How did it feel to watch your team win a thriller in the Rose Bowl Game?
Let's make it up to them by making it feel they were there with us that day. It will wind up having been the next best thing to being there in person themselves!
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Perhaps I can be of some assistance...
Even with the endless amounts of broadcast, print and internet coverage available, Longhorn fans who weren’t able to see the 2006 Rose Bowl in person are still asking, “What did it feel like to actually be there on January 4, 2006 when the Texas Longhorns upset the Southern California Trojans for the National Championship?”
Perhaps the reasoning behind their inquiry is simply that after 35 years without a title, many Texas fans are still having trouble believing it actually happened. Most likely, if they were to ask this very question to each of the 93,000 plus fans in attendance that fateful day, they’d probably receive a slightly different response from each.
Regardless, for those of you not able to attend the game and for those of you who are still looking for an “insider” perspective on what many pundits are hailing as the “Granddaddy of all time,” I’d be honored to try and give you a glimpse with a segment I like to call…
WHAT TEXAS FANS WERE THINKING AND FEELING WHEN THE SCORE WAS…
TX 0 – USC 0
“Ohhhh, say can you see…LeeAnn Rimes.” Wow, did she lose weight or what? Wonder if the Post Office will come out with a special stamp honoring her, and will they have a skinny and a fat version like they did for Elvis…okay, Sandra, flip the coin already, let’s play some football, damn it.
TX 0 – USC 7
Hmmm, a fumbled punt return leads to an easy score for USC in the biggest game of the year…where have we seen this before? “Oh, snap, it’s Orange Bowl 2: OU Boogaloo!”
TX 3 – USC 7
Have you ever noticed how short the Texas kicker is? He’s like the Mexican Rooster Andrews. From now on, he will be known as “Pino de Gallo.”
(For those of you that don’t hablo the Español, Gallo is Spanish for rooster and Pico de Gallo is a popular Mexican hors d’oeuvre. Is funny, no?)
TX 9 – USC 7
“Hey Reggie, anything you can do, Vince can do better, Vince can lateral the ball better than you.”
Sidebar: Why do USC fans insist on pointing out the fact that replay failed to overturn UT’s first TD because Vince’s knee was on the ground when he lateralled the ball to Selvin? Do they really think that that one play determined the outcome of the game, or is it because they’re pissed off that their own superstar laterals the ball like a bitch? Anyway, just asking.
TX 16 – USC 7
Oh yeah, can you feel that, Trojans? We don’t care if people do say you can last longer because you’re less sensitive, the Horns are still coming for you.
TX 16 – USC 10
Whew, just a field goal…wonder if Leinart thought he was back in ballroom dancing class when Texas defensive tackle Frank Okam was whirling him around. Of course, picking up your partner and slamming him to the ground probably wasn’t on the syllabus when Matt signed up for the class.
HALFTIME
Whoa, Coach Brown’s got a Stage 5 Clinger…oh never mind, it’s just ABC’s Holly Rowe. But just to be safe, better get her away from Mack anyway. She looks hungry and I don’t think it’s for a big story… And what’s the deal with sideline reporters anyway, they never ask any hard hitting questions like, “Coach Carroll, does using Grecian Formula to protect your gray hair pose a conflict of interest with the boys from Troy?”
TX 16 – USC 17
Well, Lendale White and the USC offense appear to have “settled down” during halftime. Wonder if Snoop Dog paid a vizzle to the hizzle to mellow out the Lendizzle Whizzle.
TX 23 – USC 17
“I wish I could quit you VY” – Uttered by many a male Longhorn fan after VY’s latest super-human touchdown run. We didn’t mean it though. It’s just that in this harsh and unforgiving society, we feel uncomfortable with our forbidden man-crushes on Vince and look for ways to hide our obvious excitement over returning to Broke-Bernadino Mountain.
TX 23 – USC 24
Is Lendale White the one they call Thunder or Lightning? Who gives a sh*t, it’s raining.
TX 23 – USC 31
What’s the dealio with Reggie Bush leaving his feet every time he scores a touchdown? Has the “epileptic acrobat” become his signature Sports Center move or what.
TX 26 – USC 31
After this game, David Pino, aka., Pino de Gallo (is still funny, no?) is either going straight into the Witness Protection Program or he’s going to make a small fortune with an autobiographical children’s book entitled, “The Littlest Kicker That Could.”
TX 26 – USC 38
Does Matt Leinart wear jersey #11 because he’s dyslexic…not that it matters, he hasn’t missed yet this half. Now we’re down by 12 with six minutes to go. Who will save us now?
TX 33 – USC 38
(Cue repetative 80’s techno beat) “We need a hero…We’re holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night…He’s gotta be strong…And he’s gotta be fast…And don’t look now, we’re only down by five.” Vinsanity has officially broken out. VY just went into Jordan-mode and now Texas is in-Vince-able. Wait, is that just the beer talking?
TX 41 – USC 38
4th and Five, he got it…Holy sh*t, we just won the National Championship, now what are we going to do?" F*ck Disney Land, we’re going to get drunk.
Regardless of whether you were at the game, in a bar or just home alone on the couch trying to avoid a noise violation and a visit from the cops, if you’re a Longhorns fan, you most likely just witnessed the…
GREATEST GAME OF OUR LIVES
Call it fate, luck, or what you will, but the fact still remains, the Texas Longhorns are the 2005 National Champions. For many Longhorns fans, especially those who have been dreaming of a title ever since they can remember, it’s almost too much to comprehend. Even after the Longhorns went 12-0 and lived up to their lofty #2 pre-season ranking, the pundits still said Texas wouldn’t/couldn’t/shouldn’t win the championship. But they sure as hell did, so I’ll say it again, “the Texas Longhorns are the 2005 NCAA College Football National Champions.”
For reasons I can’t exactly explain, this year’s 2006 Rose Bowl seems to have transcended the realm of what can simply be referred to as the latest edition of a major annual sporting event. No doubt I am too closely involved with the subject to be objective and my views of what’s going on in the world are completely distorted, but given the ratings and the number of people from all across the country who seem to have had an interest in the game (regardless of affiliation or level of sports appreciation), it’s hard to deny that the 2006 Rose Bowl has taken on a “where were you when the Horns upset the Trojans” quality about it.
Perhaps as time goes by and I become further removed from the spectacle of it all, I’ll realize that what I perceive to be one of the seminal moments of 2006 is, in reality, just another over-hyped event fueled by a misguided, sports-obsessed society that will be forgotten by the masses just as soon as the next major sporting event occurs if it hasn’t been forgotten already.
For Longhorn-Nation though, the game and its heroes will become legendary and live on forever in books, DVDs, commentaries and word of mouth as Texas fans recount the greatest game of our lives to future generations of Longhorns fans. For the burnt orange faithful, 2005 will always be remembered as a truly special season and January 4, 2006 as the day Texas Longhorns fans got to live the dream of a National Championship.
@longhorn54b
by 54b on Dec 7, 2011 1:33 PM CST reply actions 13 recs
Sorry, that was bit long...HH delete it if you want to
@longhorn54b
by 54b on Dec 7, 2011 1:39 PM CST up reply actions
Delete it???
Hell, I think we should put it on the main page!
Thoroughly enjoyed that, 54!
Did you go airborne on the final touchdown?
I went airborne. Way high in the sky airborne. Have you EVER sung the Eyes of Texas that loud or meant it that much? Did you wake up the next afternoon and go,,,SHEEEEIIITTTTT,,,last night was real wasn’t it?
If a man is alone in the woods and he speaks, if no one hears him,,is he still wrong?
This is actually a great write-up… and I think, if you’re honest, you’ll see it actually makes our point…
so now think about what you experienced at the 2005 Rose Bowl… Not the NC stuff, just being there, in Pasadena, in the Rose Bowl, in the shadows of the San Gabriel Mountains on a beautiful New Year’s day… after the living postcard that is the Rose Parade… and if you were there, what it felt like when the Longhorn band came marching down Colorado Boulevard… Now think about that being your college football goal every year of your life… and having waited almost 50 years… i mean Oregon State had gone to the Rose Bowl more recently… Minne-freaking-sota had gone to the Rose Bowl more recently… Washington State had gone TWICE… Our deepest rivals, Stanfurd, with the most apathetic fan base on the planet had gone multiple times since last we went…
All of than… and then thinking you had it, even if you didn’t win the conference… nope, rules had changed and finally you were going to catch a break… only to have it snatched away (in any way) by some what you perceived to be interlopers… That’s how we felt. Feel… If you can’t appreciate that then you’re not really college football fans…
The guy who wrote this and everyone who liked it, has to appreciate what we as Cal fans are feeling. You don’t have to agree with it… you don’t have to endorse it… but you need to acknowledge it… cuz you can’t have it both ways… you can’t say on the one hand we don’t do have a passion for football like you do, while on the other being shocked when we show that passion.
I realize this will fall on deaf eyes to many… anyway, nice write up!
Well, there's no problem in communication on our end.
We definitely GET it. The Rose Bowl is the ultimate destination for the Bears in every season. But OUR point is that it’s just ridiculous to vilify Mack Brown over this. He’s an incredible role model and his character is impeccable. Just because he agreed to an interview and then touted the quality of his own team doesn’t mean he’s a bad person. There’s a guideline in college football that any coach will tell you. Win ’em all … and go where you want. Lose a game … and go where they tell ya to. Just like UT in ’08, the Bears shoulda won ’em all that season if they wanted to dictate their destination.
by robthecob on Dec 7, 2011 11:55 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
"Incredible role model"
Unless you have a long memory, like UNC fans. They haven’t forgotten how Mack left ’em crying.
I hate USC, my wife's uncle played for RC Slocum at A&M and I'm a Hawkeye
and this still may be may favorite college football game of all time. To see it brought back blow-by-blow brings back a lot of fun memories of texting friends furiously after every twist and turn. It was a truly magical game in every respect.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Dec 9, 2011 6:54 PM CST up reply actions
One other thing...
Cal does admit that the only reason the Rose Bowl was possible that year is because USC was playing in the MNC that was at the Orange Bowl that year.
It’s not like Cal or Texas was the Rose Bowl’s first choice.
It’s also not like Cal hasn’t had 50+ chances to go to the Rose Bowl since ‘59…it’s called win the damn conference.
@longhorn54b
My understanding is that it's like
Puppies, Kittens, Red Pandas, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Whataburger, The Salt Lick, Smitty’s, Willie Nelson, Deep Sea Fishing, The Beatles, Single Malt Scotch, Shiner, Bevo, Big Bend, The Dallas Skyline, An Inch and a Half Thick Prime Ribeye, Cuban Cigars, making love to Olivia Wilde, and the second coming of Jesus all rolled into one.
One conference to rule them all. One conference to bore them.
One conference to annoy them all, and have ESPN whore them.
by lnghrn53 on Dec 7, 2011 2:03 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
I tried
But I figured I couldn’t do them justice. I mean, how am I supposed to relate Californian things to the Rose Bowl when they haven’t been in so long and have no idea whether the relations are accurate?
One conference to rule them all. One conference to bore them.
One conference to annoy them all, and have ESPN whore them.
by lnghrn53 on Dec 7, 2011 2:24 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Its like that moment
when you realize you have to flake on lunch with that guy, but you’re concerned that he won’t want to reschedule if you flake, only to discover that he flaked first and so he has no idea you even considered flaking, so he’ll still pretend to be your friend and he still thinks you’re pretending to be his.
Here's a start:
Napa Valley, the Sierra Nevadas, Sierra Nevada beer, Sonoma County, Big Sur, Point Reyes, Point Lobos, In-N-Out Burger, Lake Tahoe, the Haight, the Telegraph, Sykes Hot Springs, redwood/sequoia forests, the Santa Cruz boardwalk, Yosemite National Park, Carmel-By-The-Sea, old Monterey, Pacific Grove butterfly migrations, the San Diego Zoo, the Gilroy Garlic Festival, California State Route 1, the Joshua Tree, Hearst Castle, the Castro, Pebble Beach, 17 Mile Drive, Catalina Island, Volcanic National Park…
"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"
― Isaac Asimov
by burntorangehorn on Dec 8, 2011 6:08 PM CST up reply actions
Most beautiful state in the union, I assure you!
"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"
― Isaac Asimov
by burntorangehorn on Dec 9, 2011 10:50 PM CST up reply actions
Hawaii would like a word with you
TEXAS FIGHT
by Darklust on Dec 10, 2011 9:29 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Alaska, too.
One conference to rule them all. One conference to bore them.
One conference to annoy them all, and have ESPN whore them.
I would add,,,
Sunset in the hill country, new car on your 16th birthday, Bananas Foster at Tavern on the Green, snowfall at Rockefeller Center, the smell of coffee in the morning, Willie Nelsons 4th of July picnic on Willie’s bus, the fine Cuban cigar WITH the single malt Scotch, the smell of Christmas, a ride to Luckenbach on a Harley, taking a corner in 2nd doing 88mph, a baby laughing, and the beaches at St. Thomas ,,,with glitter confetti.
If a man is alone in the woods and he speaks, if no one hears him,,is he still wrong?
I was at the Rose Bowl in '05 and '06 (avatar picture has ticket stubs from both)
Walking up to the ‘05 Rose Bowl, I had just come from the 2004 Holiday Bowl (my younger brother had just finished his first year at Tech and we decided to see both) where I wore orange, watched Cal get stomped and mocked the infuratied Cal fans leaving the stadium. I had plenty of Tech fans defending me at that point begging us to whip Michigan’s ass and further silence the whining Golden Bears. Then I got obliterated in San Diego New Year’s eve and boarded a train New Year’s day for Pasadena. I can still see the sun setting over the mountains and feel the cold air from those mountains brushing my face on the way to the “nosebleed” section of the Rose Bowl as I tried not to vomit due to the aforementioned New Year’s eve. Really, though, if you’ve been to the Rose Bowl, you know there aren’t really any “nosebleeds” because the whole stadium is so magical, every seat feels like a great one. The game provided a further rollercoaster and luckily I had sobered up enough by halftime to watch the Michigan fans in front of me nearly lose their lunches every time VY touched the ball which was about the same thing I felt every time Braylon Edwards caught a pass. When Dusty’s kick fluttered through, I pretty much blacked out for a few minutes, and when I came to, I thought surely this was the greatest game the Rose Bowl would ever see. Despite this thought, I knew I had to come back the following year because the Rose Bowl’s pretty cool and all (despite what passes for Mexican food in SoCal). See: 54b’s notes above. So I guess what I’m trying to say is, Cal fans, if you get a chance to go to the Rose Bowl game, I’d highly suggest you do so.
by CVictoryJoyously on Dec 7, 2011 2:17 PM CST reply actions
2004
not sure why Cal fans are mad. Mack was doing what any good coach should which is to get their team into the best bowl as possible. Tedford could have and should have done the same. A coach fighting for their kids is the way it should be.
cal definitely had a great team in ’04 but so did Texas and both were deserving. Also, the point being that Texas actually WON the ’04 Rose bowl against Michigan just supports the fact that Texas should have been in the game. I was there near the goal post watching the winning FG kick go in and it was simply an amazing experience i will never forget.
Best part was my wife asking me the question as we were leaving the stadium “who’s your QB#10 that keeps running and scoring? He’s pretty good…”
Guys, what you fail to understand is this: you have already done to us the worst that one human being can do to another. And yet, we still live. We are now impervious to any further pain you may seek to inflict.
"For eight long years have those lobster backs made you bite the dust. It is your turn now. Make them bite and bite hard. Play, every one of you until you drop in your tracks; and when you can’t play any longer, we’ll put another man in your place. If you are repulsed once, come at them again, harder." - Garrett Cochran, Big Game 1898
No. This is not true.
You have not lost to Baylor and aggy at home in one year. THAT is the worst thing that one human being can endure.
If a man is alone in the woods and he speaks, if no one hears him,,is he still wrong?
i was on the crisis hotline both nights
they were talking to me like i was crazy
In The Morning To You
lol do you volunteer?
i kept going on about “Greg Davis is such a moron i mean why wont he call a run play on 3rd and short? why sweet Jesus in heaven on 3rd and short do we line up in the 5 WR look and throw a pick???? I WANT COLT BACK!!!!!!” but i was bawling then they told me this didnt sound serious and i was like “THIS IS TOTALLY SERIOUS THIS IS TEXAS FOOTBALL DAMMIT!!!!”
In The Morning To You
Yeah, that was you. I remember your voice.
It was kind of a nasaly, panicky, sickening sound w/ all those same statements. At that time, I think you had accidentally swallowed a “bubble screen”, or something like that? Wasn’t that you?
thats not what i said
i said i would swallow a dozen bottles of aspirin if i ever saw another bubble screen
In The Morning To You
We’ll see you two home losses to Baylor and aTm, and raise you losing to UCLA this year… you know a week after they were blown out by an awful Arizona team who had just fired their coach… and imploded on what was left of a national tv audience… and had to have open tryouts because so many of their starters had been suspended (ok, that might be a stretch…). You want to see a bunch of ornery people, see the Cal fans leaving the Rose Bowl that night.
we got blown out by UCLA the same year we lost to Baylor and A&M all were at home
In The Morning To You
at least the UCLA that blew you out went to a Bowl
we got blown out by one that did even worse than us
In The Morning To You
You win more! ;-)
UCLA is 6-7 this year… We cannot stand UCLA… they may be to us what aTm is to you… not sure, we’ll have to discuss in San Diego.
eh ive met a UCLA fan and he didnt strike me as the pycho animal abuser type
that and he didnt break out into a rendition of some weird mumbo jumbo animal sacrifice song
In The Morning To You
Sigh
If a man is alone in the woods and he speaks, if no one hears him,,is he still wrong?
by OnMySignal on Dec 7, 2011 9:55 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
It's been a privilege
To have been to the Rose Bowl in ’05, ’06 and ’10. What team outside the Pac-12 has had that opportunity? I was at two of the three — one win (the big one), one loss. One memory that always stands out is passing by the myriad t-shirt booths immediately after the MNC game and seeing these signs: “All USC merchandise 50% off!”
Aw well. The rose bowl is no big deal.
been there done that. Hey Cal fans. relax. Anyone can get to the Rose bowl. We go over and over lately. So don worry bout it. You get to go to the Holiday Bowl don’t you?
See you there! You will get to leave with yet another bowl loss to a team from Texas! We are glad to oblige.
3rd Degree Longhorn
Impervious, OH. Impervious.
"For eight long years have those lobster backs made you bite the dust. It is your turn now. Make them bite and bite hard. Play, every one of you until you drop in your tracks; and when you can’t play any longer, we’ll put another man in your place. If you are repulsed once, come at them again, harder." - Garrett Cochran, Big Game 1898
Can you narrow it down a bit more than that, please?
Is that you with the ’Horns?
He's the one wearing Orange.
…on the other side of the field.
Yeah, that's what I meant ...
… the one w/ the ‘Horns, on the other side, next to the Cal cheerleader who couldn’t unload her tickets!
Rose Bowl
I don’t know why Cal is so upset. They play in the “Rose Bowl” every 2 years against UCLA. This game is in January with more TVs. Pull your panties back down and GET OVER IT!
by everything horns on Dec 8, 2011 6:58 PM CST reply actions
Love that stadium.
Crossed one off the bucket list watching the Dr. Jekyll version of the ’Horns dominate UCLA from kick-off to whistle. There were a ton of pissed (and by ton I mean the 15 or so Bruins fans left in our section) at the end of that game. With the exception of the pinched nerve heard round the world, that stadium has been pretty good to the Burnt Orange and White recently.
Ya know those little decals on Vince's shoulderpads that you can barely see when ...
… they do that close-up thing of Vince standing under the confetti? Well, they named the original bowl after those decals until Vince started running around so fast that you couldn’t see ‘em anymore. At least, that’s what the USC & Michigan LBs said.
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